Non-Heme Vegetable Iron Is A Reliable Source Of Iron In Combination With Vitamin C

There are two forms of iron in our food, heme iron and non-heme iron. Meat contains heme and non-heme iron, and plants only contain non-heme iron. Heme iron contains the hemeprotein, which allows it to be better absorbed by the body than non-heme iron.

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This may appear to be a concern for plant based eaters – vegans since their diets only contain non-heme iron, but it doesn’t have to be. Vegans who eat a well balanced plant-based diet eat a higher ratio per calorie of iron than people who eat primarily meat.

So even though non-heme iron is not absorbed as well as heme iron, a vegan and vegetarian diet offers higher amounts of iron which cancels out heme-iron’s better bioavailability. Bioavailability is just a fancy term to categorize the body’s ability to use a particular nutrient.

Vegans and vegetarians who eat a well-balanced diet also benefit because their diets tend to be high in vitamin C. Vitamin C greatly increases absorption of non-heme iron, by binding with the non-heme iron and allowing it to reach the intestines for absorption into the bloodstream.

I obtained a Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University, a BA in Organizational Behavior and Communications from NYU, worked as an elementary school teacher, and have studied social work. I am a web designer/developer and I enjoy boxing, kick boxing, cycling, power walking, and basically anything challenging, and my plant based diet supports all that I do. Eating a plant based diet and exercising is a great way to achieve healthy living. ~ Natural Life Energy

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